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• The 16-strong university alliance will accelerate entrepreneurship and innovation collaboration.
• The UK-Singapore Universities Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (UKSAEI) is the first of its kind between the two countries.
• Cranfield will lend its expertise in technology and management to the alliance.

Â鶹´«Ã½AV has become a founding member of the UK-Singapore Universities Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (UKSAEI).  This is the first alliance of its kind between the two countries and will accelerate collaborations in entrepreneurship and innovation.

The alliance was launched on 8 April 2021, witnessed by H.E. Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore, and H.E. Lim Thuan Kuan, Singapore High Commissioner to the UK.  Professor Simon Pollard OBE FREng, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) signed the agreement virtually on behalf of Â鶹´«Ã½AV.

UKSAEI brings together world leading universities from the UK (Bath, Coventry, Cranfield, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, King’s College London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester and Strathclyde) and Singapore (Nanyang Technological University Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore Management University, and Singapore University of Technology and Design) to share knowledge and facilitate collaboration in commercialisation and innovation.

The Alliance seeks to:

• Facilitate, share knowledge and co-operate in the respective efforts of UK and Singapore universities in the areas of technology transfer and commercialization through active engagement with government and industry.
• Develop cross-border licensing of technologies and human capacity building as well as to support and encourage innovation.
• Act as the catalyst for commercialisation activities.
• Actively facilitate and enable collaboration between universities, public research institutes, Government and industry players in the innovation ecosystem in Singapore and the UK to co-create value.

Cranfield has strong existing partnerships with Singapore, its prestigious universities and the wider region.  The formation of the alliance will further expand those partnerships and lead to increased knowledge exchange and innovation.

In May, Cranfield will be bringing together aviation and aerospace leaders from across Singapore and South-East Asia to discuss the future of civil aviation and how it can become more sustainable, as part of its global summit series.

Signing on behalf of Â鶹´«Ã½AV, Professor Simon Pollard OBE FREng, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International), said: “Â鶹´«Ã½AV enjoys close and long-standing relationships in Singapore across its key business sectors.  We look forward to contributing fully to the work of the Alliance as we deepen our research links with its premier universities in support of UK-Singapore relations.”

H.E. Kara Owen CMG CVO, British High Commissioner to Singapore and Cranfield School of Management alumna, said: “Both the UK and Singapore are strongly committed to investing in R&D, innovation and enterprise, and recognise the importance of collaborating internationally in these areas to support economic growth. Collaboration in knowledge and education is a top priority for the SG-UK Partnership for the Future, with science and innovation at its heart”.

“The Alliance builds on the extensive links between UK and Singapore universities to make a practical contribution to the role innovation and enterprise development will play in post-COVID-19 recovery. Congratulations to everyone on the launch of this Alliance.”

H.E. Lim Thuan Kuan, Singapore High Commissioner to the UK, said: “I am honoured to be able to witness the launch of the UK-Singapore Universities Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Since the signing of the Singapore-UK Innovation & Research Partnership Agreement in 2014, Singapore’s collaboration on research, innovation and enterprise with the UK has been growing from strength to strength.

“I welcome this ground-up initiative and the aim of the Alliance to facilitate commercialisation and innovation among our IHLs. I wish them every success. Congratulations to all involved on the launch of the Alliance.”

The Alliance is supported by the British High Commission Singapore, the UK Science and Innovation Network in Singapore, and the UK Universities in Singapore Network.